120 in the Wall

[DSlater]

I'm way happier with the DIY LED, light quality just does not compare. As soon as I bite the bullet and pick up a controller, I'm adding a couple t5's and going with a hybrid setup.

The only reason I wouldn't put a frag tank on your main system is that if you start to have water problems, there is nowhere to put your corals. Our 220G has some larger tangs so we have had problems keeping the phosphates/nitrates low at times. Ended up setting up a separate 45G tank that is way easier to control those levels in, especially through the summer months when these things get a bit neglected.

[Wildechild_01]

Originally Posted by Ginu

I think the most cost effective would be to use some sort of a two part system controlled by dosers. I tried looking around but didn't see anything in regards to an aquarium comp, are you using any?

I am not currently running any form of aquarium monitoring equipment if that's what you mean. It is something I have considered a few times just never actually gotten around to researching and justifying cost to myself.

Originally Posted by Ginu

For example I'm using apex which does the monitoring and in that I have two dosing pumps from BRS and they dose alk and ca.

Does this monitor your Ca and Alk and dose as required? Because that would be kind of awesome... provided it works properly.

Also just reading on the DOS as well and that looks pretty crazy awesome..... hmmmm.... looks like i need to ask for cash for christmas so i can spend it on the reef.


Okay next item. Currently my Ca is lower than I feel it should be (360ppm @7dKH) which would explain why my corals are just kind of hanging out as opposed to growing like the used to, and the lack of Coralline growth as well

My thought is that I should go ahead and pick a product for my 2 part dosing and manually bring things up to where i want them and continue with the manual until I sort out lighting options and get around to adding more corals at which point i will need to set up the automated dosing since the tank will likely require daily dosing at that point.

Thoughts? Ideas? Product recommendations?

[Wildechild_01]

Originally Posted by DSlater

I'm way happier with the DIY LED, light quality just does not compare. As soon as I bite the bullet and pick up a controller, I'm adding a couple t5's and going with a hybrid setup.

The only reason I wouldn't put a frag tank on your main system is that if you start to have water problems, there is nowhere to put your corals. Our 220G has some larger tangs so we have had problems keeping the phosphates/nitrates low at times. Ended up setting up a separate 45G tank that is way easier to control those levels in, especially through the summer months when these things get a bit neglected.

Yeah i need to do a little more reading through the DIY section on some of the LED stuff from a technical standpoint definitely something I am capable of doing, just need to find the time and ambition. The ability to build something to match my actual tank dimensions and needs is pretty tempting. And custom building a hybrid fixture is pretty tempting as well rather than trying to find ways place multiple fixtures over the tank.

That is essentially my concern with housing frags in sump, if something goes sideways I'm stuck. I may be able to swing permission for a frag tank outside of the designated fish area but may have to trade that for permission to build an arcade machine..... I should have bought a bigger house... hahaha.....

[Wildechild_01]

Well, It has certainly been a long time since I posted anything here. I am going to try and do a better job keeping things up to date here with the newest rebuild. A little over a week ago I came home from work to find my 120ish 6 foot long tank with a water level a little below 1/2, and all of that extra water on the floor in my basement. Luckily(?) the auto top off had timed out and turned itself off, the main return pump had burnt out so at least I wasn't adding water to the problem. Needless to say it was a bit of a panicked evening. I euthanised some feeder goldfish that had spent the summer in my pond and quickly cleaned that tank out and slapped it full of salt water. I moved all of my prized big corals (we are talking Euphyllia with 40+ heads) into some buckets got some live rock in the 40g tank and got the fish along with the BTA's into that tank. The corals and some LR spent a night in the buckets while I tracked down an extra tank to house them in. The next day got the corals moved into another tanks with some LR that had spent the night in a pail with heater and power head, unfortunately something somewhere died in that tank over night and by the time I got home from work on day 3 the corals were done....... I managed to save 1 Hammer Coral head, some GSP, and some Watermelon Zoa's in the tank with the fish. The bright side is I no longer have a mushroom problem in the tank. After panic clean up mode I found that the tank was leaking along the seam between the front glass and the tank bottom, I am not 100% certain what happened but at that point decided I was done with the tank. Yes I probably could have cleaned it up and re-sealed it but I would never trust that tank again. So the decision was made to change things up a little bit. Enter a 150XH, slightly more volume, and better viewing angle for where it is being installed. Ordered up the new tank and stand from LFS only to have it back ordered. The LFS then facilitated having a tank built by Concept Aquariums, so needless to say I now have a beautiful tank. The tank was delivered yesterday but needs to sit until at least thursday before it can hold water. The reality is it will likely sit even longer. The plan is to wait until this weekend to do anything with it at all and that will very likely only be final placement and leveling and masking non viewing angles. If we are feeling particularly ambitious may start some rock placement. We will likely pick up some new dry rock, likely Pukani because it looks so awesome, to work with along with some existing LR knowing that there will then be a cycle process before the fish can move over. This however will let us do the rock placement in a dry tank making things a lot easier and ultimately more stable. The plan is to take this rebuild a little slower now that the corals are all but gone and the remaining livestock is doing great in the 40G sp no need to rush.

The 40 is running a HOB filter with LR rubble and some filter floss to take out some of the gunk, and I have my remaining MP40 in there as well. My second MP40 didn't survive the tank leak, the controller at some point fell to the floor and sat in salt water for at least a few hours and now it is toast, additionally one of the wet side impellers is now seized, so down to 1.

Along with the new tank will come a couple pieces of new equipment. Namely a Maxspect Gyre XF150 and a Reef Octopus 150SS skimmer. I will be using my existing sump for now and my existing lighting. Down the road I will likely upgrade both but since this is a forced re-build trying to space out the expenses a little bit. Ultimately though I plan to add upgraded lighting and a dosing system to this setup with the plan of finally housing SPS corals.

I will try to get pictures up as the build progresses and hopefully life doesn't get too in the way of updates here.

[Wildechild_01]

Here is a quick shot I took last night of the tank sitting approximately where it will be. Still needs a lot of work to look right but should be good when all done.


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[Wildechild_01]

Well, tank is now properly leveled and plumbed to the sump, currently running a FW leak test of everything and checking out the flow with the Maxspect Gyre XF150. I currently have it running at 30% and if the movement of the micro-bubbles in the tank is any indication this was definitely the right choice over the MP40. Of course adding rock work will affect the flow but I am confident this will easily provide all the flow in the tank I could possibly need. Am going to let things run for a few hours then drain the tank so I can do rock work dry and then will start the process of the SW fill and get to cycling the tank.

[Myka]

Welcome back!!! The new tank looks great!

[Wildechild_01]

Quick update. Well it's cycle time. Washed the sand I saved from the 120G repeatedly as it was pretty nasty for its time in buckets, placed the rock that is not in the temp tank and salted it up. The rock work will change when the livestock moves as there are some really nice pieces in the temp tank that I will use, not to mention the anemones are attached as well.


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[Wildechild_01]

Well, got my survivors into the new tank. Small ammonia spike as expected last night but as of this AM things are back where they should be. Building a scape with existing rock some of it with life attached was a little trickier but I think it came out pretty good. Here are a few pictures before and after.

This is how the tank looked while the rock I didn't save cycled.



Where the other rock and fish were living



How rock work looked when I decided it was done.



How tank looks this morning.







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[Wildechild_01]

Man oh man am I terrible at posting updates. All of the inhabitants are doing great in the tank. I have added a few cleaner and fire shrimp to the tank along with a Powder Brown Tang and some Anthias to round out the look. Some new LPS have also made their way into the tank notable mentions being a 3 headed Duncan coral, a wall type Gold Hammer Coral, a beautiful gold torch coral with purple tips and a standard green torch as well. So far all of the tank inhabitants are doing well but we are just keeping up with basic tank maintenance what with the holiday season following so close on the tails of the tank fiasco. In the coming months I hope to start prepping the tank for SPS introduction with some more testing and dosing routines. As painful as losing the other tank the way we did was, the excitement of getting to set up a new reef is certainly enjoyable.